


What could have been

by Nordra



Series: Remnants of Blood [2]
Category: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Happy Ending, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 15:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12610144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nordra/pseuds/Nordra
Summary: What if after the events of the Lords of Shadow,  Resurrection DLC and following games never took place and Gabriel remained human, deciding to give the Brotherhood some verbal lashing? What would he discover...





	What could have been

The morning dew had yet to dry when the man stepped through the main gate. The stationary guards took one look at him before one of them ran to find the Watch Captain. The man, however, had no intention to wait.

”S-sir! Please, wait!”

But the crimson armoured man brushed past of the guards continuing down the street. Few early civilians stopped their chores looked as the warrior briskly walked towards his destination: the Brotherhood of Light compound.

The Watch Captain Bogdan stood before the main doors to the compound, arms crossed as the warrior stopped before him. After taking note of the battle-worn armor and multiple weapons, most notable the heavy iron cross hanging from his belt, Bogdan met man's blue eyes, shadowed by his hood.

”Well met, Brother,” Captain said. ”...We thought you lost.”

The man stayed quiet for a while before pushing hood off, the morning sun shining on soft brown hair. ”Lost I've been for a long time and still am. Let me pass.”

”You know the rules, Brother. You must report...”

”Move aside, Bogdan or I will go through you,” man growled. ”I have no tolerance for this anymore. I have something to say to Volpe and woe be to those who try to stop me.”

Captain frowned. ”You think I'll let you go before the Cardinal after those threats? And armed? Stand down or I'll have you arrested.”

Man's expression darkened and his hand inched closer to his daggers, noting how few guards had appeared and were now surrounding him.

But before the fight could break out, the doors were pushed open, revealing a nun, bearing an amulet with the Brotherhood insignia.

”That is enough, Watch Captain,” she said before turning towards the warrior. ”Welcome home, Gabriel Belmont. Cardinal Volpe will see you right away. Please, follow me.”

***

Cardinal Volpe was old man. Many speculated that he had been around during the time of the Founders, believing him too being blessed by the Almighty Himself.

True or not, it was now that Volpe felt his age bearing down on him harder than usual.

At that moment, the door to the hall was pushed open and Gabriel Belmont entered the room, armor worn and a haunted look on his face. This was not the same man who had departed to his quest little over two years ago...

Gabriel stopped before the chairs where Volpe and his two fellow Elders were seated, cold and indifferent blue eyes glaring at old men.

Volpe sighed, stood up leaning on his staff and gave the younger man a nod. ”Gabriel... Welcome home, child. The word of your victory reached our ears a long time ago yet we heard none from you. We feared...”

”Enough with the blabbing,” Gabriel interrupted, eyes narrowing as he clenched his fists. ”You knew, didn't you?”

”...” Volpe stayed quiet before gesturing the nun who had escorted Gabriel to leave. As the doors were closed, he sighed. ”This knowledge is not...”

”I do not care!” Gabriel growled. ”You knew! Knew that Founders were responsible for the Lords of Shadows' existence!”

”...Yes,” Volpe admitted. ”Unfortunately, while their dedication to Him was great, their selfless actions also brought a great darkness upon the world...”

”Selfless? Rubbish! They left their own evil to plague humanity while they ran from this world like cowards! Leaving us to clean their mess like fools!”

One of the two Elders with Volpe, sprung on his feet, ”How dare you spout such blasphemy...!”

”Enough!” Volpe commanded, giving a pointed look at his fellow Elder who frowned but sat back down. He then turned towards Gabriel. ”I understand that learning this must have shaken you, Gabriel. But know that by defeating the Lords of Shadow, you have freed humanity from this evil forever.”

”And murdering the Founders themselves in the Heaven along the way, have I not?”

”...That we cannot be sure of. They are second only to God Himself. Maybe even the destruction of their... counterparts cannot kill them.”

Gabriel scoffed. ”Second to God... There's one other who claims that same and even he fell.”

”...The curse that separated us from the Heaven came ultimately from no other than Satan himself. Zobek, the Lord of Necromancers who cast the spell was merely a tool,” Gabriel fell silent for a moment. ”As was I.”

He then lifted his head, eyes piercing each one the old men. ”But you knew it all... Pan surely did.”

”Gabriel... All had to happen as it was meant to...” Volpe began.

”MEANT TO HAPPEN?!” Gabriel shouted and clenched his fists, making the Dark Gauntlet on his left hand to creak as the metal ground against itself. ”I was meant to be a plaything to you, to Zobek and Satan?! To Him?! MY MARIE WAS MEANT TO DIE BY MY HAND?!”

Elders were taken back by the waves of sheer hatred and rage coming from the man, his Gauntlet gaining a reddish-orange glow in it.

”You...” Gabriel pointed at them. ”You have lied to me all this time! No more! No longer will I be your puppet! From this day forward I, Gabriel Belmont, renounce my position in the Brotherhood!”

”Gabriel, think this through,” Volpe said. ”Do not let your anger to cloud your judgement. Your faith.”

”My faith,” Gabriel spat. ”What has it brought to me? Pain and suffering, nothing more!”

Looking briefly up at the stained glass window high over the chairs, near the ceiling. The colourful window pictured the Christ preaching to people.

”I have nothing left. Nothing but my life,” he then said, with more subdued, weary voice.

Volpe said nothing for the moment before speaking softly. ”...If it is what you want, Gabriel. But what will you intend to do?”

Letting out a bitter laugh, Gabriel shrugged. ”Who knows? The battle is the only thing I know. Despite the fall of the Lords, their spawn still roams the land. I probably keep fighting on my own until my dying breath...”

Volpe closed his eyes for the moment, thinking. After a moment, old man looked at Gabriel again and stepped away from his chair, gesturing the young warrior to follow him. ”You do what you believe you should, child. But before you take this life-long war upon your shoulders, there is one more thing for you to learn.”

Gabriel frowned at the fact that there was yet another secret that the Brotherhood kept from him but had no time voice his displeasure as the youngest of the three Elder, only slightly past the middle-age, cried out. ”Volpe, you can't...!”

”I can and I will,” Cardinal interjected. ”Gabriel's right, enough is kept hidden and decided for him. If he wishes to leave us, I will not stop him. But not until he learns this last piece.”

Turning back to Gabriel, old man gave him a warm smile, ”Come, you need to meet someone.”

***

Gabriel could not move, frozen in place. What Volpe had said after that first sentence was lost to him, blue eyes could only take in the sight of young boy lying on his stomach on the floor in the Brotherhood's orphanage, busy playing with wooden figurines.

Boy's hair was dark. Just like Marie's...

”Gabriel?”

Volpe's voice brought warrior back to present, making him look at the Elder. ”H-how... Why...”

Volpe sighed, ”Because we knew. Your wife knew. And she wanted to protect him. What would have happened if he had been with you during that time?”

Gabriel felt his breath falling short, imagining the situation. If the child had been with them... there would have been the blood of two people on his hands in that day. Marie's and... his son's.

Trevor.

He had a _son._

Marie had given him a child.

Volpe smiled at what he saw; the tormented look shifted away from Gabriel's face, giving place for hope... and love. Only a moment and boy had taken a place in warrior's heart.

Clasping the armored shoulder, Elder gave Gabriel an encouraging push. ”Go to meet him, Gabriel. You deserve this. You and Trevor both do.”

Nearly stumbling forward, Gabriel approached child slowly, unsure what to do. Armored boots clanged at the floorboards, making Trevor looked up, blue eyes glittering. Clad in a green vest and tan pants, boy tilted his head before breaking into a smile and shouting, ”Papa!”

Gabriel halted, confused. ”How...?”

The boy had gotten up and grabbed his hand, tugging the hardened warrior downwards until Gabriel knelt on one knee. Trevor was ecstatic and picked one of his toys from the floor, showing it and repeating, ”Papa!”

Gabriel took the offered wooden figurine in hand. It looked liked him.

”That one is his favourite,” the nearby maid said, smiling. ”Master Augustin carved them all and told Trevor that the red one was his father.”

Trevor grinned. ”Papa.”

Gabriel lowered his head, causing the hair to shield his face and blinked, feeling tears starting to form. 

He could not believe it...

He had thought that he had nothing left after losing Marie...

A small hand tapped him on forehead, making him look back up and meeting the blue eyes nearly matching his own. 

His son looked at him with child's curiosity and reached to touch damp cheek. ”Papa sad?”

Letting out a choking sound, Gabriel shook his head little before smiling, with eyes shining with the tears of happiness, ”No... Not sad.” He then opened his arms. ”Come, Trevor. Give Papa a hug.”

”Hug!” Trevor shouted and dived forward. He tried to wound his arms across Gabriel's neck but fell slightly short and ended up curling his small hands on the edges of the cloth hood around man's neck. 

Gabriel, on the other hand, locked his arms around the tiny form of his son, drawing Trevor in embrace and burying his face in those dark strands, sobbing quietly.

Gabriel still clutched the tiny figurine in his hand as he whispered, words too silent for anyone else but the father himself and his son hear.

”Your father's here, Trevor... Let's go home, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> Trevor was born in 1046, events of the first game took place in 1047. Since travelling, mostly by foot, takes a considerable amount of time and Gabriel probably mourned, brooded and cursed his fate after the battle with Satan, I place this story somewhere between the end of 1048 and early 1049, making Trevor about 2 to 3-year-old, give or take.
> 
> ...umm, what color where Trevor's eyes? In Mirror of Fate, they looked green but in LoS 2, kid-version had brown ones.
> 
> EDIT: Trevor's eyes changed to blue


End file.
